Gillian Given, 58, died in July 2012 two hours after an NHS Direct nurse told her ...

Gillian Given, 58, called 999 suffering severe abdominal pain in July 2012 Put through to NHS Direct nurse who decided she didn't need ambulance She died in agony two hours later - post mortem examination revealed she had severe heart disease

PUBLISHED: 07:22 EST, 10 July 2013 | UPDATED: 18:25 EST, 10 July 2013

A retired nurse died in agony two hours after being refused an ambulance by NHS Direct even though she was screaming with pain.

Gillian Given could be heard howling in the background of a harrowing phone call made by her husband James which was played to an inquest.

NHS Direct nurse Deborah Evans, who took the call, asked him a series of computer-prompted questions then told him: 'I appreciate she is in pain but she doesn't need an ambulance.'

Even when Mrs Given herself begged the nurse for help Mrs Evans refused to send an ambulance but told her to take painkillers and wait for her GP.

Mrs Given, 58, died minutes before the doctor arrived after suffering a massive heart attack due to a blockage in an artery.

Yesterday, after a coroner ruled human error amounting to neglect played a part in her death, Mr Given said his 'caring' wife - a former hospital sister - had been dedicated to the NHS for 22 years, but was failed by it when she needed it most.

He believes she would be alive today if an ambulance had been sent.

'She was effectively begging for her life, crying on the telephone because she was in so much pain, but still they refused to send an ambulance,' he said.

'My wife was fit and healthy until that day, but now she is just another statistic. I've had no apology, nobody in the Health Service seems to care.

'Gillian's death has been devastating. We had plans to enjoy our retirement and grow old together, but now that's all gone. My wife was a caring person.

'She was always the first person to help if someone was in trouble or ill. She would do anything for anyone.

'She devoted most of her working life to the NHS and they failed her terribly in her hour of need. The NHS today is a shambles.'

The inquest heard that Mrs Given fell ill in the morning of July 16 last year at the couple's home in Belgrano, near Abergele, north Wales.

The former nurse, who had to retire because of arthritis but had no previous history of heart problems, was vomiting and complaining of agonising pains in her abdomen and lower back.

When she was no better by the afternoon Mr Given, 66, a retired publican, telephoned the couple's GP surgery for advice.

The receptionist told him that Dr Jon Evans would call at their home later that day, but advised him to dial 999 if Mrs Given needed urgent help.

SHAME OF OUT-OF-HOURS CHIEFS

At around 3pm Mr Given dialled 999, but when he asked for an ambulance his call was triaged and put through to Mrs Evans at the NHS Direct call centre in Swansea for assessment.

NHS Direct Wales is part of the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust.

After asking the couple, who had been together for more than 30 years, a series of computerised questions Mrs Evans decided against sending an ambulance.

When questioned by coroner John Gittins, Mrs Evans admitted it was ultimately the computer and not the nurse who decided whether an ambulance should be dispatched.

However, she said that, on occasion, she had not agreed with the computer's findings.

Asked whether she had felt any 'gut instinct' that an ambulance should have been called, Mrs Evans, who resigned soon after the tragedy, replied: 'Yes.'

Stephanie Kneath, a manager with NHS Direct, said not enough questions had been asked of Mrs Given about the length of time she had been in pain and exactly where the pain was.

Asked by the coroner whether nurses could deviate from the computer programme, Mrs Kneath replied: 'The system is to support their clinical knowledge.'

The inquest at Ruthin town hall on Tuesday was also told that the call centre was noisy at times which could stop nurses hearing responses clearly.

Mrs Given died of severe atheroma - a blockage most commonly caused by cholesterol deposits or swelling of the arteries - and left ventricular failure.

Recording a verdict of death from natural causes, Mr Gittins said human error, which amounted to neglect, had played a part in Mrs Given's death.

He added that he would be recommending the ambulance trust examine the working environment at the call centre to improve soundproofing.

Mrs Given worked as a sister at the now closed Cranage Hall NHS hospital for the mentally ill in Cheshire for 22 years before retiring in 1993.

Mr Given said: 'Dr Evans told the hearing it's likely my wife would be here today if they had sent an ambulance.

'She could have had an injection to remove the blockage if she had been seen sooner, but the two-hour delay proved fatal.'

However, the coroner said he doubted whether paramedics would have carried or been able to administer such an injection.

Mr Given is suing the Welsh ambulance service for compensation.

A spokesman for the service said they extended their 'deepest sympathies' to the family and would be reviewing their arrangements for keeping noise to a minimum in their centres.